Native American in the Civial War - 1380 Words

Joel Fernando 11-11-08 HIST-281 WI Research Paper Rough Draft Native Americans in the Civil War The American Civil War was fought between the Unions, from the northern region of America, and the Confederacy, from the southern region of America. A war that was started because of slavery and fought between western europeans and incidentally people who live on the land such as Native American. The battles fought were all over the land in America. So, if a territory was on the land, then the people who lived there would inevitably get involved with the war. Battles were fought on indian territory, and as a result many Native Americans got involved in with the Civil War. The reason why Native Americans got involved in the Civil War was†¦show more content†¦176). Parker’s intelligence, experience, and â€Å"his presentable handwriting,† (Hauptman pp. 174-176) he was the first to finalize the Confederate surrender terms at the Appomattox. Another Native American worth mentioning in the American Civil war was Stand Watie. Watie w as born in a Cherokee town called Oothcaloga in Georgia on Dec. 12, 1806. In 1826, he was a clerk in the Cherokee Supreme Court. Within forty years he served as an attorney for the Cherokee Nation. Watie’s life drastically changed when President Jackson authorized the Indian Removal Act in 1830. The Act states that â€Å"all Native Americans should be removed to the west of Mississippi† (Hauptman pp. 59-61). Desperate for land and territory Watie signed the Treaty of New Echotos, which gave Cherokee land in the Southeast. This enraged many people and as a result Watie had to organize his own militia for protection in Old Fort Wayne. In 1846, the problem was solved when Watie â€Å"buried the hatchet† (Hauptman p. 45) with Chief John Ross of the Old Settlers group by agreeing upon the Treaty of 1846. The treaty gave Native Americans and Watie land rights within Cherokee territory and the acknowledgement with the government. The Great Pathfinder was a Native Amer ican who was given the nickname because of his contribution to the Union by guiding the militia through Delaware and uncharted lands in the Trans-Mississippi West. A Delaware Indian scout named Captain Falleaf was the Great Pathfinder. Falleaf had his